SHELTON, Conn., Dec. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Schick Hydro announced today the next step in its quest to foster innovation by spotlighting and investing in a community that continues to transform the industry – independent game developers. The brand's efforts include a new, fan-choice award for The Game Awards 2017 ("The Best Debut Indie Game – Presented by Schick Hydro"), a consumer giveaway that puts break-out indie games in fans' hands, an exclusive indie game jam in partnership with Playcrafting and a custom arcade experience at The Game Awards.

Schick Hydro and Playcrafting partnered to host 20 independent game developers for a 48-hour game jam in NYC in Nov. to create four games to debut at “The Indie Game Jam Arcade” during The Game Awards 2017 in LA on Dec. 7.

Vote for the “Best Debut Indie Game - Presented by Schick Hydro” and tune in to see who the winner is during The Game Awards 2017 live on Dec. 7 at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT via www.TheGameAwards.com.

Visit the Microsoft Theater lobby at The Game Awards 2017 on Dec. 7 to play games created during “The Indie Game Jam - Presented by Schick Hydro” and learn about the “Best Debut Indie Game - Presented by Schick Hydro” nominees.

Come play A.S.A.P. (As Smooth As Possible) created during “The Indie Game Jam - Presented by Schick Hydro” at The Game Awards’ first-ever arcade at the Microsoft Theater in LA on Dec. 7. Download at https://playcrafting.itch.io/ on Dec. 7.

Come play CALKARIOUS created during “The Indie Game Jam - Presented by Schick Hydro” at The Game Awards’ first-ever arcade at the Microsoft Theater in LA on Dec. 7. Download at https://playcrafting.itch.io/ on Dec. 7.

Come play CLUSTER SWEEP created during “The Indie Game Jam - Presented by Schick Hydro” at The Game Awards’ first-ever arcade at the Microsoft Theater in LA on Dec. 7. Download at https://playcrafting.itch.io/ on Dec. 7.

Come play MONO A MONO created during “The Indie Game Jam - Presented by Schick Hydro” at The Game Awards’ first-ever “Indie Game Jam” arcade at the Microsoft Theater in LA on Dec. 7. Download at https://playcrafting.itch.io/ on Dec. 7.

"From the launch of the Schick Hydro 3 to the evolution of Schick Hydro 5, Schick Hydro is a challenger brand that's constantly evolving to enhance the men's grooming experience and bring innovation to the category," said Anastasia Tobias, Senior Brand Manager of Schick Hydro at Edgewell Personal Care. "Innovation is about challenging the status quo to create something that enhances people's lives. As innovators, it's important that we support other innovators, which is why we're extending our mission to "protect and defend" to indie game developers – creating opportunities for these rising-stars to continue to hone their craft and advance their industry."

"BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME – PRESENTED BY SCHICK HYDRO"

To celebrate some of the best break-out indie games and the developers behind them, The Game Awards 2017 will reveal its first fan-choice award for independent game developers – the "Best Debut Indie Game – Presented by Schick Hydro." Today, fans can visit http://thegameawards.com/awards/ to vote for the game they feel should be named the "Best Debut Indie Game," which will be announced during the live show on December 7. Nominees include:

CupHead – Developed by Studio MDHR

Golf Story – Developed by Sidebar Games

Hollow Knight – Developed by Team Cherry

Mr. Shifty – Developed by Team Shifty

Slime Rancher – Developed by Monomi Park

Beginning on December 7, fans can enter for a chance to win complimentary access to one of the games up for the "Best Debut Indie Game – Presented by Schick Hydro" via digital "game keys." Visit www.IndieGameSweeps.com to enter.

"THE INDIE GAME JAM – PRESENTED BY SCHICK HYDRO" AND THE GAME AWARDS 2017 ARCADE

Schick Hydro teamed up with Playcrafting – a nationwide organization that offers courses and events for veteran and aspiring game creators to hone their skills and connect with thousands of fans – to host a 48-hour, game jam – "The Indie Game Jam, Presented by Schick Hydro" – at the Simple Machine studio in New York City from November 17-19. During the indie game jam, up-and-coming and established indie game developers from 10 gaming studios collaborated to create four games inspired by Schick Hydro's mission to "protect and defend." Schick Hydro will now take the games on the road, showcasing them at "The Indie Game Jam Arcade" at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles during The Game Awards 2017 on December 7 for attendees' gaming pleasure. The arcade marks the first onsite arcade in The Game Awards history!

Not attending The Game Awards 2017? Click here to learn more about "The Indie Game Jam – Presented by Schick Hydro" games and be sure to download them beginning December 7.

"The Game Awards is all about bringing together game players, game developers and notable names from popular culture to celebrate and advance gaming's position in the entertainment industry," said Geoff Keighley, Founder and Producer of The Game Awards. "With such an important mission, it's crucial that our partners share our passion for elevating the gaming community, including independent developers. We are happy to partner with Schick on this integrated program to recognize and support independent game creators from around the world."

Be sure to vote for the "Best Debut Indie Game" and tune in to see who the winner is during the live show on Thursday, December 7 at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT from anywhere in the world via www.TheGameAwards.com. For more information on Schick Hydro, visit www.schickhydro.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to learn more about how you can join us in celebrating the independent community.

The Game Awards, created by Geoff Keighley, is an annual awards ceremony to honor outstanding artistic, technical and gameplay achievements in the video game industry. Spanning console, mobile and PC gaming, as well as eSports, The Game Awards is the first of a new breed of award shows, built from the ground up exclusively for global digital and streaming platforms. The Game Awards 2016 was seen by more than 8 million viewers around the world and is guided by an advisory board that includes the executive leadership teams from Activision (Eric Hirshberg, CEO), AMD (Dr. Lisa Su, CEO), Electronic Arts (Patrick Soderlund, EVP, Worldwide Studios), Microsoft (Phil Spencer, EVP, Gaming), Nintendo of America (Reggie Fils-Aime, President), Rockstar Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment (Shawn Layden, Chairman, SIE Worldwide Studios), Ubisoft (Yves Guillemot, CEO), Valve and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (David Haddad, President).

ABOUT PLAYCRAFTING

Playcrafting provides developers across the United States - from noobs to pros - with the tools required to get their games off the ground. This is done through approachable hands-on classes that lower the barrier for entry for anyone to get started making games and to empower pros to level up their skills. We host everything from local gatherings like Expos and Demo & Plays to industry-recognized annual events like Play NYC and the largest Global Game Jam site in the United States. A commitment to community and in-person support has helped elevate Playcrafting to now serve communities across 5 U.S. cities. The organization offers over 200 courses and events annually.